Fairy Tale
by lolkatzzz
Summary: Prince Kish needs a wife so he can become king of Clorith. So, he finds the perfect girl, Ichigo Momomiya. However, Ichigo is betrothed to Masaya Aoyama. What's a prince to do? AU KxI PxT and others.
1. In which Kish finds a wife

Title: Fairy Tale

Pairing: KishIchigo, some PuddingTart and others (slightly)

Setting: Medieval AU

A/N Nyaa! I'm really stuck on 5medallions, so I started this. I've been rooting for Kish to get Ichigo ever since I saw an episode of Mew Mew Power (Scary!). However, I will never bash Masaya mindlessly in a fic (however tempting it is); so if you're looking for something like that, go somewhere else. Please enjoy!

"Ichigo? Hey, Ichigo, get over here!" a loud voice echoed through the central marketplace of the small town of Zelbia in the kingdom of Clorith (1). A plain looking girl carrying a basket of fresh vegetables looked around wildly and dashed towards the source of the voice. Her frazzled red hair, which was tied messily into two pigtails, bounced around her shoulders. Expertly dodging around people buying their groceries and skidded in front of a well-dressed girl with long purple hair.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Zakuro-san. I was held up when a girl knocked over her stand again. I had to help her," Ichigo, the red-haired girl, gasped as she held out her basket.

"It's okay, just don't let it happen again." Zakuro said sternly, taking the food and handing Ichigo a few gold coins.

16-year-old Ichigo Momomiya was one of the three daughters of Sakura Momomiya. Her mother was a washerwoman, and her father had mysteriously disappeared when she was young, taking most of her family's money with him. Her two sisters were named Mint and Lettuce. Lettuce was a year younger then Ichigo. She was sweet, but rather clumsy, which had made her lose many jobs. Mint was two years older than Ichigo, and she never let Ichigo forget it. She was pretty and sophisticated, but her sarcastic and slightly sarcastic personality did not make her any friends. Because of her family's poor status, Ichigo took it upon herself to get some money from odd jobs.

Ichigo herself was a generally cheerful person. She had found that being optimistic was the best thing to do in her situation. She was somewhat ditzy and did not always think things through, but she made up for it with friendliness and cheerfulness. Unlike her elder sister, she had not considered their life as peasants dreadful, but rather something she had to put up with. In time, it had simply become routine.

Prince Kish of Clorith was just about Ichigo's polar opposite. He was the only heir to the throne of Clorith, and it seemed like he didn't care. His green hair was often worn in short pigtails, and he would often don a tattered midriff bearing shirt and skirt rather than wear royal clothes. He would also sneak out into the big city at night and remain there for several days while the entire castle sent hundreds of people after him. His father, King of Clorith, had told his adviser, Pie, and Kish's servant, Tart, to keep an eye on him. Kish got out anyways.

"Kishu, I have told you many times that it is time for you to find a wife, but what have you done about it? Nothing!" the King roared at his son, who was slumped in his throne.

"I have told you many times not to use my full name, but what have you done? Nothing!" Kish countered in a bored tone.

"That is not the point! If you do not find a wife in four weeks, you will be married to Lady Zakuro Fujiwara." The King said in a tone that clearly meant business.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was preparing to meet with her crush, Masaya Aoyama. He was a year older than her, but she had loved him ever since they had met. He had been courting her for a couple years, and he had said that he had an "important question" to ask her. Ichigo blushed furiously as she brushed the tangles from her hair.

"Ichigo, is that really what you're going to wear?" somebody asked from behind her.

"Yes, Mint. Why, do I look okay? Is my dress on straight?" Ichigo asked, her eyes wide.

"If Aoyama-kun is going to propose to you-" Mint started. She was interrupted by an embarrassed squeak courtesy of Ichigo.

"I don't know if he's going to propose or not. Plus, I'm only sixteen." Ichigo stammered, her face bright red.

"Oh please, Ichigo. He said he had an important question to ask you. And he asked you to meet him at night! Duh, he's going to propose!" Mint stated. She walked over to Ichigo and straightened her dress.

"Mint, are you upset that Prince Kishu-sama is planning to marry Zakuro-san?" Mint raised her eyebrows.

"You shouldn't listen to everything you hear. I heard somebody else say that Zakuro onee-sama isn't going to marry Kishu-sama if Kishu finds a wife in a month." She responded as she rolled her eyes. Ichigo knew that Mint cared very deeply for Zakuro, but she would never let anybody know it.

"Ichigo? Mint?" Lettuce appeared from another room and walked over to her sisters.

"Hi Lettuce! Did you get a job today?" Ichigo asked hopefully. Lettuce shook her head sadly. Ichigo frowned and sighed slightly.

"Sadly not. However, Shriogane-san stopped me again and gave me a few coins." Lettuce said, her pale face now slightly tinged with pink. She dug into her pockets and retrieved a few coins. Mint and Ichigo exchanged glances before filling Lettuce in on their days.

Kish had slipped into his room and was grumbling under his breath about not wanting to marry Zakuro. He glanced over at Pie and Tart, who were discussing castle affairs, and then at his window, which was open and beckoning for him to climb out and explore the world outside of the castle. He began to edge towards the window.

"Kishu, don't you dare leave the castle again!" Tart cried. Kish scowled, and then summoned up his two knives. He flew over and held one Pie's neck and one to Tart's.

"I think I will leave the castle. I also think that if you tell anyone that I have, you won't live to see the next day. Savvy?" Kish asked threateningly. Tart nodded nervously, but Pie remained silent. Kish grinned and leaped onto the windowsill.

"You didn't see anything." He grinned and leaped out the window.

Kish had bypassed most of the larger cities, because he had explored everything possible. He had cut through some of the larger towns, but he really wanted to see the smaller towns. So, he stopped in a very small town called Zelbia. He was greeted with stares of awe and confusion.

"What, have you never seen your prince before?" Kish had snapped in response to the stares. He examined some of the buildings, but most of the town was plain and rather boring.

"So, Masaya-kun, why did you have me over at such a late time?" Ichigo asked nervously. It was several hours after she and her sisters had met, and Ichigo couldn't stand the anxiety that came with waiting for Masaya to finish talking about his animal research.

"I realized that we'd been dating for quite some time now, Ichigo." Masaya started. Ichigo turned bright red.

"That's true." She managed to stammer. Masaya grinned and fidgeted with something in his pocket. _I bet that it's the ring _Ichigo thought. The very idea made her blush even deeper.

"Ichigo, I love you very deeply. I wanted to know," Masaya got down on knee, "Ichigo Momomiya, will you marry me?" (2)

Ichigo turned a deep red. Masaya pulled out a box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a golden ring.

"Of course I will." Ichigo gasped. She kissed him fiercely, and then hugged him tightly around the neck. Masaya took her hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger. Ichigo promptly fainted into his arms. Masaya chuckled and hoisted the unconscious redhead into the air. He carried her to a grassy hill and laid her down gently. Soon enough, Ichigo roused from her "slumber".

"I'm so sorry, Aoyama-kun- I mean, Masaya." Ichigo cried as she bowed as best she could from a sitting position.

"That's okay. I'm very excited, too. Here, I'll walk you home." Masaya said with a grin. He helped her up, and they began to walk towards the Momomiya's house.

Kish had spent a pretty rough night tucked away in a barn, under some hay. A cow had fallen asleep on him. Lucky for him, breathing for his race was voluntary, but the extra weight was still uncomfortable. The next morning, he vowed to find himself a wife somewhere on the streets randomly, just to avoid marriage to Zakuro Fujiwara. As soon as his father was off of his case, privately divorce and continue with his life. That way the girl forced into marriage could have a happy ending with whomever she chose, and Kish could become king without having to be tied down to one girl.

"Simple, no?" he laughed to himself as he opened the barn doors and stepped into the sunshine.

That very day, Ichigo happened to be doing a grocery run for the Fong's eldest daughter, Pudding. Sure enough, the young girl had demanded pudding (3) among other things. However demanding the girl was, she was from a wealthy family, and Ichigo was sure that she would receive a plentiful tip. However, she did not know that she was the target of Prince Kish's big plan. Well, Kish didn't know either, until they ran into each other.

"Ah! Oh my, Prince Kishu-sama, please forgive me!" a flustered Ichigo gasped, groping around for her spilled food. Kish bent down and scooped down to help her.

"No big deal, miss-" Kish started as he and Ichigo stood up and brushed themselves off.

"Ichigo Momomiya." Ichigo muttered and bowed deeply. Kish nodded in automatic response.

"Yes, Ichigo Momomiya. As you probably know, I'm having a bit of trouble at the palace lately." Kish said. Ichigo raised her eyebrows.

"I know. You have to find a wife in thirty days." Ichigo said as wisely as she could muster.

"Yep." Kish said nodding. _I wonder what he wants. If he's looking for a wife, I should tell him about Mint _Ichigo thought to herself and grinned.

"If you're looking for a wife, my sister, Mint Momomiya (4) is open and needs a husband. She's very sophisticated, so the royal situation would suit her." Ichigo explained. _Actually, I just wanted to know where I could buy a new skirt, but I have a good idea _Kish thought and grinned evilly.

"Actually, Momomiya-san, I was wondering if _you _could help me with my problem." Kish said, taking Ichigo's hand in his.

Ichigo tried to pull away. Kish held on tightly and began to move in closer to the freaked-out teen girl.

"I'm sorry, Prince Kishu-sama, but I'm betrothed to Masaya Aoyama!" Ichigo cried and leaned away from the prince.

"How many times have I told everyone to call me Kish? Ichigo, you will be mine." Kish whispered softly. He leaned forward some more and kissed her gently. Ichigo shoved him back.

"I'm so sorry, Kish. I'm betrothed, but my sister is open!" Ichigo gasped. Kish just shook his head and rested his arms on Ichigo's shoulders.

"I want you, Ichigo. Tell Masaya Mayokama that you're, let's say, temporarily unavailable." He said, looking into Ichigo's eyes imploringly.

"Aoyama." Ichigo corrected with disdain. She removed Kish's arms and backed away slowly.

"Kishu!" a very loud voice stormed. The king, Pie, and Tart were all storming towards Kish with angry expressions.

"Ah father, just in time." Kish winked at Ichigo and gripped her wrist tightly. Ichigo yelped in pain and tried to claw his had away.

"What do you think you're doing? Sneaking out and threatening Pie and Tart is not tolerable." The king yelled, getting closer than Kish would have liked.

"Ah, but father, I have gotten something out of my trip. I have found a wife, Ichigo Momomiya, and we are to be married in three days." Kish proclaimed proudly.

"No!" Ichigo yelled, pulling away from the prince and clawing at his hand. Kish simply chuckled and got close to her face.

"Oh no you don't, kitten." He whispered as he took her chin. He dipped her down extravagantly and kissed her passionately.

A/N (1) I couldn't help but express my newfound love for the Cloud and Aerith (FF7) ship!

(2) Sorry for all of the IchigoMasaya-ness. I had to build up the plot. I would just have had Kish propose, but I had to make a more interesting story line.

(3) This is Tokyo Mew Mew medieval times, so pudding was indeed invented then.

(4) Their real last names are now their last names, because they all need the same last name.

If I got any of the titles wrong (san, sama, chan etc) please tell me. I'm still learning. Please review! I want to advance as a writer!


	2. In which Ichigo is forced into marriage

A/N Thank you so much for the reviews! Oh, and I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, so please don't sue! And I'm going to make fun of 4kids' "dub" of Tokyo Mew Mew a little, so be aware of slight MMP-bashing. Finally, the wedding ceremony is going to be different because… well one, I wouldn't do justice to a real ceremony and two, it's more interesting. Please enjoy the next chapter!

Ichigo was lying on her bed, contemplating the hectic day that she'd had. She closed her eyes and sighed wearily as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Oh Masaya, I'm so sorry. I love you so much." She whispered to herself. The prince that she had once had so much hope for, the prince that she had admired, the son of her beloved king, was now her worst enemy. He could not you proclaim that they were to be married! It just wasn't right.

"Congrats on finding a wife, Kish!" Tart winked and gave the prince a light tap on the shoulder. Kish grinned and pushed him away.

"That was exceptional, finding a wife on such short notice, Kishu," Pie said as Kish winced, " seeing as in most were turned away." Kish grinned.

"Let's just say, she was more than willing to marry me." He said. Pie gave him a suddenly stern look.

"How did you get her to fall in love with you? Forget that, marrying the prince is a give-in, but why Ichigo Momomiya? She's so ordinary." Tart said, circling Kish with a look of amazement.

"I stopped to help her pick up some food and it was like love at first sight." Kish half-lied. Pie raised his eyebrows. Kish had never been a fan of love at first sight, but maybe the prince had changed after meeting Ichigo.

The next day, Kish decided to go see his beloved Ichigo and give her some wedding attire (which he was lugging around in a bag). Tart had decided to accompany him for "security purposes". All he really wanted to do was buy some food, but security purposes sounded more important.

"And then I appeared and called Ichigo Zoey! I kissed her and spoke while I was kissing her. Then I introduced myself as Dren and I had a nerdy voice! It was awful!" Kish exclaimed, vividly describing a nightmare that he'd had that night. Tart nodded sympathetically as Kish glared at a gaping passerby.

"I know how you feel. Once, I dreamed that I was named Tarb and-" Tart was cut off by a high pitched scream.

Pudding backed slowly away from the viper slithering along the ground of her play area. The snake flicked its tongue and followed, keeping a steady pace. Pudding suddenly tripped on a pebble and stumbled onto backwards. She screamed and fell onto her butt. The snake continued its steady advance as Pudding attempted to stand up. However, the snake took advantage of her weakness and shot forward as quickly as a bolt of lightning. However, before it could bite her, an unknown figure scooped her up and threw her out of the way.

"Are you okay, miss?" the figure's voice asked. Pudding opened her eyes cautiously. Tart was standing over her, looking anxious. Pudding nodded and clambered to her feet.

"Did you save me?" she asked, staring innocently at the brown-haired servant. Tart nodded.

"I'm glad that you're okay." Tart said, his face expressionless. He turned to walk away when something attacked him from behind.

"Thank you! You're a great friend! My name's Pudding, what's yours?" Tart's "attacker" exclaimed, hugging the poor servant tightly.

"Tart." Tart gasped as he pushed the yellow-haired girl away. He floated above the trees and looked around wildly for his master.

"Good-bye, Tar-Tar!" Pudding cried, waving extravagantly as Tart flew in the opposite direction.

"Tart!" was the last thing she heard from him.

"Tart, where were you?" Kish asked as Tart landed beside him on Ichigo's doorstep.

"I was saving the Fong family's daughter. Thinking on it now, I regret it." Tart grumbled. Kish laughed and knocked on Ichigo's door. There was a lot of grumbling and finally Mint approached the door, hopefully about to open it.

"What do you want?" she snapped as she finally swung the door open. Kish raised an eyebrow. Mint's eyes widened as she got a good look at who was at her door. "Prince Kishu-dono! I'm so sorry! I thought that you were somebody else!" she gasped apologetically.

"I hope that you don't greet everyone like this. And please, call me Kish. We're almost related anyways." Kish reasoned as he let himself in.

"Ichigo, Prince Ki- I mean, Kish is here to see you!" Mint's voice rang into Ichigo's bedroom.

"I'm not home!" she yelled back and pulled her thin covers over her head. The covers being yanked down followed the sound of footsteps entering her room.

"Ichigo, you baka! The prince has you're wedding things. He's your future husband!" Mint yelled.

"I don't want to marry that jerk. I want to marry Masaya." Ichigo sighed sadly and attempted to replace her covers. This resulted in Mint grabbing her wrist and pulling her from bed.

"There are millions of girls who wish that they were in your place. Think, Ichigo! If you marry him, you get money! We can pick this family up again! Mom can get a real job, Ichigo. Don't you care about the family?" she asked.

Ten minutes later, Ichigo was standing her poor excuse for a living room. Kish smiled and walked up to her.

"Ohayo, kitten. Did you decide to take a catnap?" he asked joking. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled Masaya's ring off of Ichigo's finger, and attempted to kiss her. Ichigo pushed him away forcefully.

"I was trying to avoid seeing you!" Ichigo snapped. Mint and Lettuce rushed forward and clamped their hands over her mouth.

"Don't blow it, Ichigo. Think about the family." Mint said. Ichigo's shoulders drooped in defeat, and her sisters pulled away.

"What did you put in this bag?" Ichigo gasped as she took the bag from Kish and dragged it along the ground towards her room.

"A dress." Kish stated simply. "Try it on." He suggested. Ichigo gave him a –not-in-your-life look and hurled the bag onto her bed.

"Okay, I have your junk. You can leave now." She stated, sauntering over to the door and throwing it open.

"Momomiya family, I'm leaving now, but tomorrow, Ichigo and I will be married at the church by the river at nine in the morning. Don't be late, kitty." He winked and closed the door behind him.

Hours later, Kish and Pie were discussing the next day's wedding. Well, Pie was discussing and Kish was nodding when he thought was appropriate.

"Are you nervous at all, Kish?" Pie asked. Kish nodded slowly. "All you've been doing is nodding. Please, Kish, respond. Unless you are bacteria, you can respond. I know for a fact that you are not bacteria." Pie said.

"Yes, I'm a little nervous. However, once the wedding is over, Ichigo will be mine forever." Kish stated.

"Do you really love her?" Pie asked.

Kish thought hard about this question. Did he really love Ichigo? They had just met the other day, yet it seemed like he'd known her forever. He was silent for several minutes.

" I love her." Kish said slowly. "However, this love is like a cat's love for a toy. I want to love her deeply, like my father loved my mother, but it's too soon. I want to know her, but she hates me. I-" he stopped, guilt overpowering his previous ecstasy.

"What?" Pie asked seriously. Kish stared at his hands.

"I took her away from her true lover. She loves him so much. Why doesn't she love me?" Kish asked.

"You came so suddenly, Kishu. She must have been startled. Also, if she had to give up her true love for you, she's not going to forgive you easily." Pie said sternly. Kish sighed and walked to his room.

The next day came all too quickly for Ichigo. She was standing in her living room, putting on the white dress that Kish had brought for her. The dress was so tight that she could barely breath.

"Lettuce, I can't breath." Ichigo gasped as Lettuce tied the strings in the back. She attempted to breathe in deeply and immediately felt dizzy.

"I'm so sorry Ichigo. I'm doing the best that I can." Lettuce said apologetically. Suddenly, Mint appeared in the room, wearing a dress that Ichigo could never imagine wearing.

"The Fongs are coming to the wedding. So are Ryou Shirogane, Keiichiro Akasaka, the Aoyama's, and Zakuro onee-sama." Mint said, her eyes shining with joy.

"Did you say that Masaya is coming?" Ichigo gasped. Mint nodded and went to work with Ichigo's veil.

"Okay, Kish, you're about to get married. Any last words as a single prince?" Tart asked, bouncing around Kish like a rabbit approaching a carrot.

"It was fun while it lasted." Kish joked. Tart chuckled, then glanced out the door and at the previously empty seats. An all-too-familiar yellow haired girl smiled and waved exuberantly at Tart. Tart rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Kish.

"Anyways, you should probably get a move on, Kishu." Tart snickered. Kish smacked Tart on the back of the head and walked over to discuss a few things with his father.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was searching frantically for her beloved Masaya. It was hard, because it seemed like the entire kingdom wanted to see Prince Kish get married. Finally, she spotted him standing next to a few small children. She rushed over to him.

"Masaya!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Masaya hugged her back halfheartedly.

"Congratulations on marrying the prince." He said edgily. Ichigo pulled away and looked him in the eye.

"Don't be silly, Masaya. You know that I wish that it was you and I getting married today." She whispered softly. She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, but Masaya dodged, looking away into the grass.

"Of course you do. Good luck." Masaya said, pulling Ichigo's arms off of his shoulders.

"Masaya, wait! I love you, and you know that!" She whispered, attempting to keep their conversation privet. The kingdom would explode if they found out that their queen loved another man.

"Goodbye, Momomiya-san." Masaya said and went to join Ryou and Keiichiro, leaving Ichigo distressed.

About an hour later, Kish was standing at the front of the altar, watching Ichigo walk slowly up the aisle. She looked sad, but Kish dismissed this as difficulty seeing through the veil. As soon as she stopped in front of them, the minister busied himself with starting the ceremony. Kish grinned at Ichigo, but all she did was stare at him sadly.

"Kishu Clorith, do you promise to love and cherish Ichigo Momomiya for the rest of your life?" he asked.

"I promise, and my promise shall be kept." Kish replied automatically. The minister asked Ichigo the same question. Ichigo hesitated, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I promise, and- and my promise shall be kept." Ichigo stuttered, trying not to sob.

"You are bound to your promises. Love shall guide you throughout the rest of your lives." The minister proclaimed. He took a small knife and made a small cut on Kish and Ichigo's outstretched wrists. He allowed them to drip into two cups of foul-smelling liquid, and handed each one a cup. Ichigo and Kish exchanged glasses and Kish downed the one handed to him. He grimaced inwardly, but did not show it on the outside.

"Two as one." Ichigo and Kish said in unison. They set their glasses on the altar and the minister took them in his hands.

"One forever. The promise is complete. You may kiss the bride." He said loudly. Kish flipped Ichigo's veil up and kissed her passionately. The red haired girl did not return the kiss.

A/N It's done! Sorry the "ceremony" sucked almost as much as Mew Mew Power, but it was the best I could do. I took one line from the lioness quartet, and I don't own that either. Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be up soon. Nya!


	3. In which Kish and Tart have love issues

A/N It's me again! I'm having a great time working on this, so thank you for the kind reviews. As a request, I'll put a bit more PuddingxTart-ness in this chapter, but this will mostly be KishxIchigo centric. I'm basing chapter titles on Howl's Moving Castle/Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I wasn't aware that I needed to say this, but, just in case, that's where I got my inspiration. Please enjoy!

The wedding was finally over, and Ichigo could barely stand holding Kish's hand and greeting everybody who'd come to their wedding.

"Congratulations on getting married, Ichigo-san!" Pudding grinned and shook Kish's hand wildly. Kish grinned slightly, then pulled his hand quickly away from Pudding's grip. Pudding then flounced over to the chocolate fondue and dipped a strawberry into the warm chocolate. Ichigo turned her attention to Lettuce, who had come to shake Kish's hand as well.

"It'll get better soon, Ichigo. Nothing this bad can get any worse." She whispered kindly into Ichigo's ear. Ichigo smiled sadly and hugged her sister. Lettuce hugged her back tightly, and then went to talk to Ryou.

Tart had somehow managed to wander over to the fondue table. There he found Pudding drowning her strawberry in chocolate.

"Tar Tar!" she cried and threw her arms around Tart, allowing hot chocolate to drip from the strawberry in her hand down his shirt.

"It's Tart! Look, now you've got fondue on my-huh?" Tart was cut short when out of nowhere, Pudding kissed him.

"What the- Pudding, what was that for?" Tart asked, shoving the girl away and wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"I felt like it. It's your thank-you gift for saving me." Pudding grinned and turned back to the fondue. Tart's cheeks were burning as he went to join Pie and discuss the moment that had just passed.

"Kish, can I have a moment?" Ichigo asked, holding her chest with her unoccupied hand.

"Can't you wait a little longer, kitten? We have to greet our guests." Kish grinned at Ichigo and shook another man's hand.

"Kish, I can't-" Suddenly Ichigo passed out, her face nearly as pale as her dress. Kish's eyes widened and he hurriedly scooped her up.

"Ichigo!" he yelled. By now, a small crowd was beginning to form around the newlyweds. Kish called his daggers forward and made a clean cut through the back of Ichigo's dress. Almost immediately, the red haired girl began to breath again. However, she remained in her unconscious state. After a few minutes, she stirred, opening her eyes halfway.

"Masaya." She sighed happily, wrapping her arms around Kish's neck. Kish turned a slight pink as everyone around them began to whisper.

"It's okay. Masaya Aoyama is her best friend, and she is clearly delirious." He lied. He motioned for Tart to follow, then left the room quickly.

When Ichigo stirred from her sleep, she was in a large white bed covered by a soft comforter. She grinned and rolled over. The pillow was softer than she had ever felt before, and she could swear that the bed was simply a cloud.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" a voice asked. Ichigo hesitantly opened her eyes. Kish was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with concern.

"It's not good to fall asleep at your wedding reception, kitten." He joked. He leaned over to kiss Ichigo's forehead, but Ichigo pulled the covers over her head.

"I guess that it wasn't a bad dream." She sighed to herself. Slowly, she pulled the covers down and looked Kish in the eye.

"You've been asleep for a long time, honey. It's the morning again." Kish said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Ichigo would have slapped his hand were she not so wiped out.

A few minutes later, Ichigo had finally managed to shoo Kish away, gotten dressed in simple clothes found in a paper bag, and pulled her hair into manageable pigtails. She looked herself up and down, thinking about how she was going to get her clothes and other things to her new home. _Speaking of which _she thought to herself _where is my new home? _Ichigo looked out the window, but the terrain was completely unfamiliar. Finally, she managed to make out the marketplace, which was no more than a small speck in the distance.

"I'm pretty far away. I hope my friends come to visit." Ichigo muttered as she stepped out the door and into the hallway.

Kish was eating breakfast when Ichigo finally came down from her room. Kish grinned and motioned to a chair next to him. Ichigo walked past him and sat on a seat as far away from the prince as possible. He frowned, but attempted to start a conversation anyways.

"So, I'm glad to see that you're up and about. Did you enjoy your night? If you didn't, you have a long time to get accustomed to it." He laughed, but stopped when Ichigo shot a nasty glare in his direction.

"Just because I live here doesn't mean I have to like it. This applies to you too, oh great Kishu-dono." Ichigo snapped.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Kish said. He grabbed a piece of bacon and began to eat it quietly.

While Kish and Ichigo ate their meal in silence, Tart was sitting at his privet table and chewing thoughtfully on his half-burnt bacon.

"Why did that stupid girl…not that it matters, but still." Tart muttered to himself. Pie saw Tart talking to himself in sentence fragments and decided to see what was wrong.

"What's wrong, Taruto?" he asked. When Tart did not respond to use of his full name, Pie knew that something was terribly wrong.

"Nothing…" Tart trailed off. He looked at his food with fake interest. Pie sat down one of the short seats that the servants sat on.

"If it were nothing, that bacon would be nothing more than a few grease smears on your plate. Also, you're talking to yourself, and you only talk to yourself when something happens." He reasoned. Tart sighed in defeat and began to explain the past day's events.

"Hmm." Pie muttered. Tart took another strip of bacon and nibbled on the end. "And you like Pudding too, am I correct?" Pie asked thoughtfully. Tart turned bright red and looked away quickly.

"No way. She's just a stupid girl I saved, but only because I happened to be nearby!" he snapped, slapping Pie on the arm.

"Well, whatever you say, Pudding definitely likes you." Pie said. Tart rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the update, sir obvious." He said. Pie only grinned and walked to try and talk Kish out of his slump.

About a week later, Ichigo decided to walk to town and retrieve her belongings. When she got there, she would borrow some money and rent a carriage and ride back to the castle. The walk, however long it was, was still easier than getting past Kish and out the door. He seemed to be absolutely everywhere. Eventually she found a small, unnoticed window and managed to slip out. She breathed a sigh of relief and began the trek to the marketplace.

Ichigo should have known that her "escape" was way too good to be true. After only fifteen minutes of walking, she heard a carriage from behind. Ichigo turned around to see none other than Kish, Tart and Pie in hot pursuit. Ichigo knew that she should probably run, but too many thoughts were running through her head. Soon enough, the carriage had caught up to her.

"It's not good to run away, kitty. Exactly where did you think you were going?" Kish asked, leaning out the side of the carriage and tapping Ichigo on the nose.

"I was going to get my stuff. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going." Ichigo said sharply. She began to walk off, but Kish grabbed her wrist and held her tightly.

"Be a good kitty and get in the carriage now." He whispered harshly. Ichigo wrenched her hand out of his grip and slapped the prince as hard as she could. As soon as Kish tried to grab her wrist, Ichigo took off running. Kish watched her run and didn't even try to catch up to her.

"You slapped the prince! What the heck is wrong with you, Ichigo?" Mint exclaimed. Ichigo sighed sadly and shoved the small remainder of her items into her bag.

"I was being provoked! It was my only choice! Why is it such a big deal? I can slap him, 'cause he's my husband, even if I hate him!" Ichigo yelled, kicking the frame of her small bed.

"It's okay to be mad, Ichigo. He had no right to force you into marriage. But you can't just slap him." Lettuce said sympathetically, placing a hand on Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo hugged her sister tightly.

"I hate him, Lettuce. I truly hate him." She whispered, sobbing into Lettuce's shirt. Mint wrapped her arms around her sisters, and the three stood there for a long time.

Kish was sitting on his desk when Pie came in to talk to him. Kish attempted to ignore him, but Pie placed himself in a chair with no obvious intention of leaving.

"Are you okay, Kish?" he asked. Kish sighed in response. Pie took this as a no. "You can't force somebody to love you." He said.

"I know. She doesn't love me. But I love her. I've only known her for a week, but I love her. This wasn't supposed to happen, Pie!" Kish yelled. He slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a small dent behind.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pie asked. Kish left his fist in the dent. He stared at his pillow so Pie wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.

"I'm not supposed to fall in love with her! It's not real!" he yelled. He punched the dent once more, this time a small hole appeared when he pulled it away.

"You can't help love at first sight, Kish. But you can held mend your relationship with Ichigo." Pie said wisely. Kish roughly wiped his tears away with his hand and turned to face Pie.

"I'll try my best." He said and grinned sadly.

A/N Sorry this chapter's a bit shorter, but I wanted to cut it off there. Please review, and thanks for continuing to read. Next chapter should be up soon.


	4. In which Ichigo finds sympathy for Kish

A/N Hey. Well, this is just going to be a chapter or two of Ichigo and Kish living together before anything major happens again. By now, it's safe to assume that Kish has scrapped his plan because he loves Ichigo, so the "plan" from ch.1 is no more. I'm going to rate this higher for Kish's colorful language, and I'm recreating a scene from book 6. Nyaa the Final Fantasy 7 spoilers! Gomen nasai, I'm in an Advent Children mode. Please enjoy.

As soon as Ichigo returned and lugged all of her stuff from the carriage to her room, she made a point to avoid Kish all day at whatever means possible. Hopefully, by then he would have forgotten of forgiven her about the "incident" and will be his same old stupid self. However, she found this easier than she expected. Kish was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day. The only thing that told her that he was still here was seeing Tart running up and down the stairs, carrying food, water, and other things to him.

"Tart!" Ichigo finally stopped Kish's servant. Mostly, Tart had avoided her, running up a back staircase or and sneaking around her. It had taken several tries to stop the nimble boy, but Ichigo prevailed eventually.

"Sorry, Ichigo-san, but I have to take this to Kish." Tart said quickly, attempting to weave around her. Ichigo put a firm had on Tart's shoulder.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Ichigo asked. Tart sighed set the heavy pans that he'd been carrying on the floor.

"The prince is in a state of depression and needs a few days to calm down. It happens every now and then, especially when he gets dumped. When Mint dumped him he was, Ichigo? Are you okay?" Tart asked suddenly. Ichigo felt breathless, like she had when her dress was too tight.

"Mint and…Kish? Impossible." She muttered to herself. Tart gave her a strange look and took off during Ichigo's moment of weakness.

"Kish?" Tart peeked in through the slightly cracked door and stared at his master. It was not a pretty sight. Torn papers were strewn across the floor, and clothes and random items littered almost every surface. Suddenly he heard a sniffle from the bed. "Kish!" he cried and shook the lump on the bed.

"Tart, did you bring my frying pan?" Kish asked, poking his head out of the covers. Tart lifted the pan up to Kish. Kish examined it, pulling the covers down to his chest.

"It's the one you wanted. The heaviest in the palace." Tart gasped, bending over to catch his breath. "Why do you want a pan in the first place?" he asked, looking Kish in the eye worriedly. Kish raised it over his head. Tart whimpered and prepared to be knocked out with a heavy pan. However, Kish threw it over is servant into the wall.

"I felt like making a bang." He muttered. Suddenly, he pulled himself out of bed. "I'm going to go make up with Ichigo. Pie told me that it's what married couples do." He said. He walked out of his room, leaving his bewildered servant to contemplate what had just happened.

Ichigo had slowly wandered back to her room, pondering what to do until Kish forgave her. She had unpacked all of her clothes into a large dresser. Her other miscellaneous items were set in various places around the spacious room. Suddenly, she noticed a bookshelf on the far end of her room. It was funny that she'd never noticed it. Walking up to it, she saw a note. _Kitty, all of these books are for you. I hope you can read. –Kish. _Ichigo's eyes widened as she looked at the wide variety of books on her shelf. One in particular caught her eye. She pulled it carefully off the shelf and brushed some dust from its spine. Slowly, she made her way back to her bed and began to read.

"Hey! Tar-Tar! Over here!" a loud voice cried. Tart caught his breath and glanced out his window. The infamous Pudding Fong was in a tree, waving exuberantly with one hand and clinging to a branch with the other. Tart threw the window open in exasperation

"Pudding, what are you doing up there? It's twenty feet up!" he yelled. Pudding only grinned and spun around to where she could stand on the windowsill.

"I wanted to see where you lived, so I followed you home na no da!" she grinned, clambering through the now-open window.

"Na no da?" Tart asked. He tried to block Pudding from getting into his room, but she managed to swing around.

"Well, recently I've been very happy na no da. A lot of work was taken from my shoulders na no da! So, I just kinda started saying na no da." The girl reasoned. She began to poke around Tart's "room" (which was actually a coat closet with a window and a bed).

That was how most days passed for quite some time. Each day, Ichigo would eat and then wander back up to her room to read the books Kish had supplied for her. Kish would search frantically for Ichigo, and then go sulk in his room. Pie would go talk Kish into getting out of his room. Pudding would climb the tree outside of Tart's room and somehow manage to sneak in. Tart would feebly attempt to stop her and fail miserably. Everything fell into routine.

"Ichigo, honey! Where could you be, kitty?" he asked. He'd searched everywhere for Ichigo except for her room. He would search in there, but he wouldn't want to barge in on her changing.  
"When are you going to check Ichigo's room? It's obvious that she's in there." Tart smirked, strolling over to his master.

"What if she's changing?" Kish asked. Tart gave him an are-you-really-asking-me-that-question look.

"She can't be changing all day, Kish. Go see her. If you don't, your love problems will never be solved na no da." Tart clamped a hand tightly across his mouth. _Did I just say…na no da? _He asked himself.

"Don't go there, Taruto. I know that you're madly in love with Pudding and you're just too stubborn to admit it." Kish said, walking away from his servant slowly.

"I'm not I love with that imbecile! She's just persistent and really annoying! Who told you that lie anyways na no da?" Tart shouted. Kish turned around and raised an eyebrow. "I'll be going now, na no- mmph." Tart mumbled into his hand and ran towards his room

Ichigo sniffled and allowed a tear to drip from her cheek onto the book she held in her now-trembling hands. She heard a knock and roughly brushed the tear from her cheek.

"Come in!" she yelled, attempting not to sob. Kish opened the door a sliver and poked his head through.

"Hey kitty." He said. When Ichigo did not run up and slam the door in his face, he took the opportunity to sneak inside. He closed the door behind him and sauntered up to Ichigo.

"Uh, hello Kish." Ichigo greeted. She attempted to shove the book under the covers, but Kish was too quick and stole a glance at the cover.

"Advent Children hmm? Sill kitty, Final Fantasy hasn't been invented yet. Heck, TV's haven't even been invented! Setting that aside, why are you reading that?" Kish asked. Ichigo then began to describe the death that Kadaj had died. Kish rolled his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked suddenly. Ichigo sniffled, but did not answer. Kish tilted her face up to his.

"Let go of me, Kishu." She muttered, trying to shake her head free. Kish gripped her hand tightly.

"I've missed you, honey. You need to come out more." He whispered softly. He kissed her, but Ichigo did not respond.

"Tar-Tar!" a tapping noise came from Tart's window. Tart pretended to ignore it. However, the tapping got louder and louder until it was almost unbearable. Finally, with a weary sigh, he opened his window to admit Pudding into his room.

"There you are na no da! I was afraid that you weren't in her na no da." Pudding said. She hopped onto his bed and sat herself down with a plop.

"Pudding, get off of my bed!" Tart yelled. He leaped onto his bed behind Pudding and attempted to shove her off. Pudding gripped the edge of the bed and clung on.

"I don't want to na no da! I want to sit on your bed na no da!" she responded. She rolled over and pinned Tart to the bed. The springs groaned and squeaked, but neither noticed.

"Pudding, get off of the bed now!" he forcefully pushed her back onto her back so that he was on top of her once more.

"Why should I na no da?" Pudding asked. She clawed at his hair, face and arms and attempted to right herself. However, Tart had pinned her tightly down.

"Because I said so na no da!" Tart yelled back. They both froze in place. Pudding raised her head until she was almost nose-to-nose with Kish's brown-haired servant.

"You said na no da." She said incredulously.

When Kish finally pulled away from Ichigo, she shoved him back and jumped from her bed, looking furious.

"Kishu, would you stop kissing me like I'm your toy! You don't get it! I don't love you Kish! Please, just let me go home!" she yelled.

"We're married, and I love you, so that's that! You can't leave." Kish countered. "I will make you love me the way I love you!" Kish yelled.

"I will never love you, because my true love is Masaya! Ma-say-a, get it? Is it clear enough to get through your thick skull?" she yelled. Suddenly, Ichigo found herself on the ground, her hands pinned to the ground and Kish's face a few inches from hers.

"Damn it Ichigo! Forget about that damn Masaya! I love you, and you're mine now! Why can't you just forget about him?" he asked. He kissed her forcefully, but Ichigo managed to shake him off.

"Kish, get off!" she cried. She tried to pull a hand free, but that only made Kish hold on tighter.

"I love you so much, but you love him so much." Kish stammered. A tear dropped from his cheek onto her face. Ichigo gasped as Kish wiped it off with his hand. Ichigo took the moment to break free of his grasp, but Kish wasn't trying to hold on anymore. All of the sudden, he was sobbing and gasping as tears rolled off of his cheeks.

"Kish." Ichigo said softly, reaching a hand out for him. Kish grabbed it tightly. Ichigo winced in pain, but did not try to pull away.

"What can I do, Ichigo? Damn…damn it. What can I do to make you love me?" he gasped. He kissed Ichigo again, but Ichigo made no attempt to pull away. It was obvious that Kish needed to be loved right then.

Tart was bright red. He pulled his hands away from Pudding and Pudding scrambled to sit up. She leaned in close to him and felt his head.

"You don't have a fever na no da." She muttered to herself. She gave him a quick examination, then huffed in exasperation. "There's nothing wrong na no da! Then why did you say na no da?" she asked Tart inquisitively. Tart put his hand on her cheek.

"You've got it drilled into my head," Tart kissed Pudding quickly but firmly, "na. No. Da." He turned bright red and motioned out the window. Pudding walked over to the window and jumped out in a daze.

A/N It's finally done! We're nearing the end of the Pudding/Tart subplot, but Kish/Ichigo still has a long way to go. Also, Ichigo does not have feelings for poor Kishu-kun yet. She was just trying to be comforting. She still hates him (mostly). Please review and keep reading.


	5. Goodbye

A/N Are you tired of me yet? Wait don't answer that. Heh. Poor Kish, I'm so mean to him! Any-nya, this will probably be one of the more serious chapters, save the Pudding Tar-Tar fluff. Please review, or I'll have to sell my socks for a living! Well, maybe not, but review anyways.

_"Damn…damn it. What can I do to make you love me?" he gasped. He kissed Ichigo again, but Ichigo made no attempt to pull away. _Kish sighed as he replayed the moment over and over in his head. He buried his head under the covers once again and groaned. He was so awful! No wonder Ichigo wanted to leave. Kish sniffled and blinked back some threatening tears.

"I bet that Aoyama guy is much nicer, smarter, and more handsome than I am." he mumbled, flicking one of his pointy ears in disappointment. There was a creak as his door opened.

"Kish, it's time to be a big boy and go make up with Ichigo." A voice that sounded suspiciously like Pie's said.

"That's what I was trying to do. Now go away, Pie." Kish murmured. Suddenly, the covers were yanked from his head. Kish blinked wearily at his advisor.

"You are acting like a small child. Taruto is acting more mature than you." Pie said sternly, staring at Kish intently. Finally, Kish kicked his legs out from under the covers and hopped off of his bed. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"I'll work on it." He said in a fake bored tone. Pie raised his eyebrows, but Kish left before he could say anything in return.

Ichigo felt terrible. The recent fight with Kish had left her shaken and distressed. Even worse, Kish was avoiding her like she was the plague. She had no idea that she was in a similar position to Kish's. Curled up in bed with a heavy heart. As she thought back on the fight, she kept coming back to Kish's kiss.

"He seemed so upset. I didn't enjoy it though. His kiss, that is. I-" Ichigo sighed. "Oh who am I kidding? I loved his kiss. Damn it, he's growing on me." The instant the words left her lips, she clamped a hand on her mouth. She'd never sworn before. Another of Kish's qualities that had rubbed off on her.

"Oh gosh, I'm not in love with him, am I?" Ichigo asked. She shook her head defiantly. "Of course not! Any feelings for Kish are strictly sibling-related. My true love is-" before Ichigo could mutter Masaya's name, she heard a knock on her door.

"This is Pie. May I enter?" Pie's voice said from the opposite side of the door. Ichigo grunted in reply. Pie opened the door and stood in the doorway.

"May I ask why you're in here?" Ichigo asked, rubbing her eyes and tilting her head in a way that would have made Kish faint for kawaii overload.

"Kish is in a state of shock and distress. I need you to get him out of it." Pie said.

"Where is he now?" Ichigo inquired. She kicked her legs over the side of her bed and tucked a few unruly strands of hair behind her ears.

"He was coming to apologize, but I think he chickened out. I saw him standing here for nearly a half of an hour, but he said he'd see you in a few moments. Last time I checked, he was in a similar state as yours, curled up like a cat in his bed sulking." Pie said.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled. "I am not sulking." She retorted. She tossed a pillow at the surprised alien. Pie grabbed in out of the air and tore it in half.

"Kish?" a timid voice asked. Kish, who had snuck back into his room after listening to his precious koneko-chan snoring, raised his eyes and blinked.

"Ichigo? Wuzzugoinon? What did Taruto blow up?" Kish asked. Ichigo stepped fully into the room and picked her way around the garbage that littered Kish's floor.

"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Ichigo said. She turned over an unused hamper and sat down next to Kish.

"Ichigo!" Kish suddenly yelled. He grabbed her wrist. Ichigo yelped in pain. Kish began to squirm. "Ichi-go!" he cried out again. He roughly pulled her close.

"Kish, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked. Kish pulled Ichigo's face next to his. His eyes were rolling madly and he looked to be in a great deal of pain.

"You're mine, koneko-chan! I want you!" he managed to gasp out. Ichigo tried to pull away, but Kish only held her tighter. "I want you to stay with me. Forever."

"Kish, pull yourself together!" Ichigo yelled. She gave him a sharp slap on the face. Kish blinked twice, then shook his head.

"Huh? Ichigo, did you hear anyone?" Kish asked, releasing Ichigo. Ichigo examined the bloody nail marks imbedded in her wrist.

"Nobody but you. What was that all about? Do you have a history of breaking out into tantrums?" she asked, standing up from the hamper and moving towards the door.

"It was Deep Blue again. He said that he wanted you, but I wouldn't let him take you, Ichigo." Kish mumbled. Ichigo froze in place. Slowly, she turned around.

"Kish, nobody said that. Are you sure you're not imagining things?" she asked. She walked back over to the prince and knelt beside him.

"I'll never let him take you away Ichigo." Kish said. Ichigo felt Kish's head. It was burning. She quickly pulled her hand away pulled the covers up to his chin. Soon enough, Kish had fallen asleep

"I don't know what happened to him. All of the sudden he started twitching, then he grabbed me and yelled that he wanted me forever." Ichigo explained to Pie. They were back in Ichigo's room. Pie nodded, a concerned look playing on his face.

"Ichigo, there is something very important about Kishu that I have to tell you." Pie said sternly. He led her over to her bed and sat her down. He sat down next to her and took a deep breath. Ichigo could tell that it would be a long story.

"When Prince Kish was born, a mysterious man named Deep Blue had been visiting all newborn royal children. He would storm into the room, ask a few strange questions, and place a hand on the baby's forehead. However, exactly a week after he left, the baby would begin to act very strangely, not letting anybody touch it. Then, three nights later, the baby would disappear. Of course, Kish being the king's son, Deep Blue made an arrival. He preformed his routine, then left. I was only nine, but I knew that something was going to happen to Kish. Being his designated advisor, I felt that I had to do something. So, exactly a week after Deep Blue had come, I carried baby Kish to my family's home. We stayed there for three days. The night of the third day, I stayed up and watched Kish all night. Nothing happened to him."

"That very night, a break-in at the castle had occurred. Nothing had been stolen. However, a letter demanding the baby prince was tacked to the castle doors. Though it was anonymous we all knew that it was Deep Blue. And when Kish was five, we knew why Deep Blue wanted him. Deep Blue was sending mental waves out to Kish. On his fifth birthday, Kish began to twitch, then began screaming about someone coming to get him. He yelled out the name Deep Blue and promptly passed out. He was running a fever for days on end, and when he recovered, he was still shaken. A few weeks after that, the king learned that Deep Blue had implanted some sort of magic inside all of the children, then kidnapped them to make them do his bidding. Though Deep Blue was caught and killed, we can never rid Kish of his spirit."

A/N This chapter was written long ago. I know it's been one-hundred years since I updated, but I need to wrap this up. This story died on me. I don't like the way it was written, it was tedious, and I have a completely different writing style now. Thus, I'm abandoning the story.

However, I'm going to rewrite this. Not now, but in the near future, I'm changing the plot slightly and doing a rewrite. In the meantime, read other stories and wait. I'll get to it. But this will no longer be updated, which is why I cut the chapter short here.

The plot of the new story, which I will call Unweaving, will be a lot like this. Kisshu is still a prince, Ichigo is still a peasant, and Masaya is still the animal researcher in love with Ichigo. However, the pace will slow down, and it won't be so randomly dramatic and angsty. Kisshu's love for Ichigo will come more slowly, and Ichigo's fondness for Kisshu will be much slower. The random numbers and references will be gone. It will be a clean slate. 'Fairy Tale' will remain on the site to direct people to the new story.

On a lighter note, as a present to my readers, I'm doing a little freebie. I will be writing a one shot or drawing a chibi (on my devArt account, Kat-nya) of your choice for free. You may request until a week after chapter eight of 'The Followings' is up. Check my profile for dates and progress.

Consider it an 'I'm Sorry' present.

Thus ends 'Fairy Tale'. Sorry I never finished it, and keep your eyes out for 'Unweaving'. It will come sooner than you think.

And I'll definitely finish it.


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